Clash of Champions (2019)
Clash of Champions (2019) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brands. It took place on September 15, 2019 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was the third event under the Clash of Champions chronology. Eleven matches were contested at the event, including two on the pre-show. In the main event, Seth Rollins defeated Braun Strowman to retain the Universal Championship. In other prominent matches, Kofi Kingston retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton, Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship, and the Raw Women's Championship match between Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks ended in a disqualification win for Banks, but with Lynch retaining. In the only non-title match on the card, Erick Rowan defeated Roman Reigns in a No Disqualification match thanks to the returning Luke Harper. Production Background In mid-2016, the WWE reintroduced the brand extension, splitting its main roster between the Raw and SmackDown brands, represented by the shows of the same name. Clash of Champions was established that year to replace Night of Champions, a pay-per-view in which the concept was that all WWE titles were defended; Clash of Champions was established on the same concept. The 2016 event was Raw-exclusive while the 2017 event was SmackDown-exclusive; all titles exclusive to the respective brands during those years were defended at these respective events. A Clash of Champions event did not occur in 2018, but following WrestleMania 34 that year, all WWE pay-per-views became dual-branded. In 2019, Clash of Champions was brought back, and, as a dual-branded event, all WWE titles across both brands are to be defended – the Universal Championship, the WWE Championship, the Raw Women's Championship, the SmackDown Women's Championship, the United States Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the Raw Tag Team Championship, the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, and the 24/7 Championship. Storylines The show will include matches resulting from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results are predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brands, while storylines are produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw, SmackDown Live, and the cruiserweight-exclusive 205 Live. Feeling that she deserved an opportunity for the SmackDown Women's Championship following her win over Trish Stratus at SummerSlam, Charlotte Flair issued a challenge to reigning champion Bayley during "A Moment of Bliss" on the August 20 episode of SmackDown. Bayley accepted the challenge for Clash of Champions. On the August 12 episode of Raw, Universal Champion Seth Rollins faced United States Champion and O.C. member AJ Styles in a non-title champion versus champion match, which resulted in a brawl with fellow O.C. members Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson with Braun Strowman coming to Rollins' aid. The following week, Rollins and Strowman teamed up and won the Raw Tag Team Championship from Gallows and Anderson. Rollins was subsequently scheduled to defend both the Universal and Raw Tag Team championships at Clash of Champions. On the August 26 episode of Raw, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler won a Tag Team Turmoil to earn a Raw Tag Team Championship match at the event, while later that same night, Strowman challenged Rollins for the Universal Championship, which Rollins accepted. During the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam, Randy Orton attempted to target Kofi Kingston's family, who were at ringside. Kingston brawled with Orton outside the ring, resulting in both men being counted out. Kingston retained the title but continued to attack Orton. On the following episode of SmackDown, The New Day (Kingston and SmackDown Tag Team Champions Big E and Xavier Woods) faced the team of Orton and The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) in which Orton and The Revival won, after which, Orton performed an RKO on all three members of New Day. On the following Raw, Big E and Woods faced The Revival in a non-title match that New Day won by disqualification due to interference from Orton. Kingston came to their aid, but Orton took him out while The Revival and Orton temporarily injured Woods' leg. The following week on SmackDown, Orton threatened to go after Kingston's family and a WWE Championship rematch was scheduled between the two for Clash of Champions, while Big E and Woods were scheduled to defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Revival at the event. On the August 20 episode of 205 Live, Team Oney Lorcan won the Captain's Challenge against Team Drew Gulak with Humberto Carrillo and Lorcan being the last remaining members of their team. The following week, General Manager Drake Maverick scheduled both Carrillo and Lorcan to compete in a match to earn a WWE Cruiserweight Championship match against Gulak at Clash of Champions, which Carrillo won. On the August 20 episode of SmackDown, Sami Zayn was a guest on "Miz TV". Zayn said that after months of losing matches, he realized that he would be better suited to helping people on SmackDown, and brought out Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Zayn said that Nakamura was unable to express himself because of the language barrier and that he would communicate for him. The two then attacked The Miz. The following week, Miz challenged Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash of Champions. Miz received a beatdown from Zayn and Nakamura. Later, the title match was made official. At SummerSlam, Becky Lynch defeated Natalya in a submission match to retain the Raw Women's Championship. On the following Raw, Lynch said she respected Natalya and put out a warning to the rest of the women's division. Natalya later came out with her arm in a sling and said they would face each other again. She was interrupted by the returning Sasha Banks, who was last seen at WrestleMania 35. Banks hugged Natalya, but then attacked her, turning heel. Lynch came to Natalya's aid, but was attacked by Banks with a chair. Banks later challenged Lynch for the title at Clash of Champions and Lynch accepted. On the July 30 episode of SmackDown, as Roman Reigns was getting ready to make a SummerSlam announcement, lighting equipment fell on top of him backstage. The attacker was originally alleged to be Samoa Joe due to their previous rivalry, but he was proven innocent when someone tried to run into Reigns with a car while Joe was at the scene. It was then alleged to be Buddy Murphy, who was spotted on camera during the original attack. Reigns forced Murphy to reveal that it was Erick Rowan. At SummerSlam, Rowan attacked Murphy for the accusation. Daniel Bryan and Rowan then forced Murphy to reveal he was lying and found out that the attacker was a man that looked like Rowan. The following week, however, Reigns found additional footage that showed Rowan pushing over the equipment, and a match between Reigns and Rowan was scheduled for Clash of Champions. On the August 5 episode of Raw, The IIconics (Peyton Royce and Billie Kay) defended the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane), Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville and Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in a Fatal 4-way tag team elimination match, which Bliss and Cross won. On the September 3 episode of SmackDown, Rose and Deville challenged Bliss and Cross for the titles at Clash of Champions. Bliss said that they did not deserve an opportunity, but Cross accepted a non-title match for that night, in which Rose and Deville won. A title match was scheduled between the two teams at Clash Of Champions. Aftermath Raw Prior to Clash of Champions, it was rumored that Bray Wyatt would challenge for the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell. On the Raw following Clash of Champions, due to The Fiend's attack, Universal Champion Seth Rollins announced that he would be defending the title against Wyatt's Fiend persona at the event in a Hell in a Cell match. Also on the following Raw, Sasha Banks challenged Becky Lynch to a rematch for the Raw Women's Championship at Hell in a Cell, and Lynch accepted as a Hell in a Cell match. New Raw Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode and new SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) celebrated their respective championships victories, only for Braun Strowman to interrupt the celebration and attack both teams. The O.C. (United States Champion AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson) defeated Cedric Alexander and The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) in a six-man tag team. Following the match, The O.C. attacked Alexander and The Viking Raiders. In the King of the Ring final that was originally scheduled to occur at Clash of Champions, Baron Corbin defeated Chad Gable to be crowned the King of the Ring. SmackDown Matches Other on-screen personnel See also * List of WWE pay-per-view events * Clash of Champions Category:Clash of Champions Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events Category:2019 Pay-Per-View Events